


Two Sandcastles and Some Chicken Nuggets

by Akoia



Series: Magic and Masks [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 14:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16599953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akoia/pseuds/Akoia
Summary: The Dursley's make a sudden move to Gotham city and have no choice but to bring Harry with them. While he's sitting alone at the park, he makes two new friends. Jason and Dick.





	Two Sandcastles and Some Chicken Nuggets

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by: HP Head-Canons on tumblr

Harry Potter wasn’t sure how he felt about the city. The move to Gotham had been very sudden, Uncle Vernon had gotten a promotion and the whole family had to move. They would have left Harry in England but they couldn’t find ‘other arrangements’ in time so they brought him along.

Dudley was going to the prestigious ‘Gotham Academy’ that was around twenty minutes drive away from the small house they all lived in. Aunt Petunia would drive him every day and pick him up. Harry was going to the public school that took him an hour and a half to walk to every morning. Aunt Petunia wouldn’t ever pick him up from even when it was pouring rain. So Harry got used to walking alone in the large city while it was getting dark. If he wasn’t home by the time the street lamps turned on Aunt Petunia would lock him outside until Vernon got home from work. So Harry learned to run at least part way back home.

Harry liked the city sometimes because there were so many places he could slip away when his Aunt was screaming at him or if Vernon hit him with the belt. His favorite place was the park. On a Saturday afternoon, there were normally so many people there that no one could tell that Harry was alone. Sometimes he even got to play with kids his own age. Dudley couldn’t chase them off, because Petunia never let him go to the park by himself. Sometimes there were scary people at the park but when they showed up, Harry learned that he needed to leave, just like everyone else did.

Sometimes Gotham was a really scary place to live. They had lived there for six months and in that time, Harry’s school had gone on lockdown three times. The first time was because a guy had robbed a bank and barricaded himself in the middle school that was right next to Harry’s campus. The next time was because a man that was called ‘The Joker’ had been spotted close by. The most recent time had been a disgruntled woman who threatened to blow up the city because...well no one really knew why.

Those were the times that Gotham was bad. But otherwise, he really liked his new home. He was back at the park, swinging on the swings, kicking his legs. He was waiting to see if there were any kids who wanted to play with him. It was weirdly empty for a Saturday.  

“Uh...hey there!” He heard a friendly voice call out to him. He looked up and saw a young man approaching him with a boy who looked like he was twelve or thirteen years old. “I’m Dick, this is my younger brother, Jason. I was wondering if you would play with him?” The man asked, pushing the boy forward a little bit. Jason looked up at his brother and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah,” Jason said with a shrug. “Let’s go play.”

Harry slowed the swing and looked at the two hesitantly before he stood up and nodded. “We can go play in the sandbox and make a castle,” Harry suggested pointing.

“Yep, sounds great, lead the way.” Jason followed Harry and sat down in the sandbox with him. Jason watched as Harry started digging down in the dirt, pulling up sand that got wet from the last rain storm. Jason looked behind him where Dick was giving him a thumbs up. “So…my brother and I noticed that you come here by yourself all the time. Where are your parents?” Jason asked, a sigh leaving his lips.

Harry looked up with wide eyes, letting the wet sand slip out of his fingers. “Oh, they died in a car crash when I was a baby. My Aunt Petunia said that I got dumped with them after.”

“Oh, well where is your aunt?” Jason pressed.

Harry shrugged. “She’s at home. I come here so I don’t have to be there. They don’t like me very much.” He shrugged and went back to making his sand castle.

Jason winced at how casually Harry said that. “How old are you?”

“I’m eight years old, what about you?”

“I’m thirteen…” Jason didn’t know what to say. “What’s your name?” He asked.

“Harry, nice to meet you, Jason.” Harry had a bright smile and Jason couldn’t help but smile back. They sat quietly for a few minutes and Jason helped Harry build his castle. Jason wouldn’t have said anything else if Harry’s stomach hasn't growled loudly. He flushed pink and put a hand over his stomach. “Sorry,” he muttered, not meeting Jason’s eyes.     

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Jason said. He grit his teeth together just slightly. “Did you have anything to eat today?” He asked.

“Yeah, Aunt Petunia let me have a piece of cheese this morning. I _also_ had half an orange last night.”

“That all?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. When Harry nodded happily he sighed. “Alright, how about my brother and I buy you some lunch?” Harry was looking at him with wide eyes, then looked around like he thought something unpleasant was coming from behind. Jason stood up and dusted off his pants. He held his hand out to Harry and waited. Harry hesitated only for a few more seconds before slipping his small hand into Jason’s.

Jason led him over to Dick who was scrolling through his phone. He looked up when Jason was standing right in front of him and smiled. “What’s up, Jay?” He asked. Dick turned to Harry who was looking down at the ground bashfully. He raised an eyebrow at his brother.

“Harry hasn’t had anything to eat today,” Jason said, letting go of Harry and slipping his hands into his jean pocket. “I thought maybe we could get him a kid’s meal or something.” He shrugged.

“Of course we can!” Dick said brightly. He stood up and gestured with his head towards a blue car that was parked on the curb. “Do you need to call someone to tell them where you are?” He asked, already holding out his phone. Harry quickly shook his head. Dick frowned.

They loaded Harry up into the back of the car and drove towards the closest McDonald’s. Harry wanted the chicken nuggets and a sprite. His meal also came with a Batman toy. They parked and watched Harry eat his food. He ate two nuggets and put the other two in the pocket of his baggy pants. Jason gave Dick a single nod the three of them pulled out of the parking lot. “Alright Harry, where would you like us to take you?” Dick asked.

“On Mayor street,” he said, drinking the last of his soda. “I can walk the rest of the way home from there.”

“Well…alright then.” Dick drove silently and kept casting looks at Jason who was texting Alfred about the ‘situation.’ When Dick stopped the car Harry climbed out and waved goodbye to them before running the rest of the way to his front door.

He turned around and watched as Dick and Jason drove away. He looked up and saw that the street lights were on. He tried to open the door, but just like he expected it was locked. He sighed and sat down on the front step. Despite the situation, he was still really happy that he met Jason and Dick. He pressed his hand against his pocket where he felt the chicken nuggets waiting to be eaten later.

* * *

 

He got to see Dick again the next day. “Do you want to build a sandcastle?” He asked, pointing at the empty sandbox. “I brought a bucket today!” He smiled a pulled a green bucket out from behind his back. Harry’s eyes brightened and he nodded. Dick guided him over to the sandbox and the two sat down next to two other children who were being watched by their mothers.

“We’re going to make a _magic_ castle,” Harry said, whispering the forbidden word. He watched Dick closely and was surprised when the young man’s smile brightened.

“That’s really cool, what’s in the magic castle?” He asked, helping Harry load up the bucket with sand.

Harry thought for a second. “There’s a _dragon!_ But he’s a nice dragon. Also there a princess who lives there. But she and the dragon are friends and he scares away prince’s she doesn’t like. Oh! Also, there’s a room that’s _always_ full of food!” He excitedly helped Dick turn the bucket over.

“Harry, can I ask you a few questions?” Dick asked, helping Harry build a moat around the castle.

Harry shrugged, sticking his tongue and concentrating on the sand. “Yeah, okay.”

“Do your aunt and uncle feed you?”

“Yeah, but I have to finish my chores first.”

Dick swallowed but tried to keep his voice steady. “What happens if you don’t finish your chores?” He asked.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, well, I have to go to my cupboard without any food. Then if I don’t finish my chores the next day I still won’t get food but Uncle Vernon will hit me with his belt.”

Dick took a deep breath and nodded. “Do you get food from the school?”

“No, Aunt Petunia didn’t want to waste the money. She packs me a cheese stick and a bottle of water and my friend Alley asks her mom to pack me sandwiches a few times a week.”

“That’s very nice of her.” Dick forced a smile.“So can you tell me what you meant by you ‘cupboard?’ Is that a timeout space?”

“No the cupboard under the stairs I where I sleep!” Harry said with a bright smile. “When we moved from England I didn’t think there’d be cupboards here too!"

“And your uncle...does he hit you a lot?”

“Only when I’m bad.” Harry shrugged. “Or when I do something freaky.”

“What do you do that’s ‘freaky’?” Dick asked, shifting closer to Harry.

“M’not sure. Sometimes weird stuff just happens to me, and it’s my fault, so Uncle Vernon hits me.” Harry frowned, rolling a rock around on the ground. “Can we not talk about this anymore?”

Dick paused. “Sure thing, buddy. How about when we finish up our castle we go get something to eat, would you like that?”

Harry nodded excitedly and the two continued building their sand castle. Harry added a few windows before he decided he was hungry and asked Dick if they could go. Dick took him by the hand and even let Harry sit in the front seat. They went to a 24-hour diner and the red-haired waitress greeted Dick by name and took them to an area of the restaurant where there were no other people. “You can order _anything_ you want off the menu, no price limit.”

Harry’s eyes widened and he looked at Dick like he was insane. “You really mean it? Even if it’s ten dollars?” He asked. Dick smiled and nodded. Harry looked down at the menu, scanning it quickly. “Could I have this please?” He asked, pointing to a picture of chicken strips. It was only about eight dollars, but Harry looked far too delighted for Dick to suggest he get anything else.

“Hey, Kate, I think we’re ready,” Dick smiled at the woman who walked over with the pad in hand. “ _I_ will have the Slappy burger with the extra slap if you please.” He grinned at the woman who rolled her eyes and wrote it down.

She looked at Harry, her lips turning up. “What about you, hun?” She asked.    

“The chicken strips please,” he said quietly.

“Sure thing, it’ll be ready soon.”

Harry looked at the pictures on the kids' menu, coloring with the crayons that the waitress had left for them. “I had a weird dream last night,” he said absentmindedly.

“Yeah? What was it about?” Dick asked, taking a sip of iced tea.

“There was a motorcycle, it was flying.” Harry made a whooshing sound and moved his hand like it was flying. Dick smiled at watched him. “It was a nice dream…it almost felt like a memory.”

“Have you had that dream before?” Dick asked.

“Yeah, I think I must have, but I don’t remember when.” He went back to his coloring and neither of them said anything until ‘Kate’ brought their food out.

Dick watched Harry stuff fries into his pockets. He smiled at Kate. “Whenever Harry comes in, will you give him something to eat? On me?” He asked. She looked at the boy and nodded.

That night when Dick brought Harry home, they said they were going to meet up again after Harry got out of school on Friday. Dick said he’d take him to the ‘movie theater’ with Jason. Harry ran up to his front porch with a huge smile. He turned the doorknob and it was unlocked. Aunt Petunia was talking happily to Dudley about something he’d done in class.

What a 'smart boy' he was. Harry huffed and rolled his eyes, walking into his cupboard and hiding his fries in a little box under the shelf the was above the mattress he had on the floor. He laid down and wrapped himself up in his blanket and grinned from ear to ear. Yes, Harry Potter _loved_ Gotham city. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.


End file.
